Chelsea 2-1 Bournemouth: Blues defeat Cherries to secure European qualification

In their final Premier League game on Sunday, Chelsea defeated Bournemouth 2-1 and secured a place in Europe next season thanks to a magnificent lobbed goal from the halfway line by Moises Caicedo and a twisting effort from Raheem Sterling.

Chelsea finish sixth and will play in the Europa League if Premier League champions Manchester City win the FA Cup final next weekend, or the Europa Conference League if Manchester United win the Wembley Showpiece.

The game on Sunday, played in the warm sunshine of London, was full of energy. Bournemouth, who finished 12th, wanted to make a game of it.

The south coast side had only 39% possession, but 22 shots to the hosts' 16. They should have equalised in the dying moments, but former Chelsea striker Dominic Solanke, who came on as a substitute, shot over the crossbar from close range.

Chelsea were dominant from the start at Stamford Bridge.

In the 17th minute, Bournemouth keeper Neto rushed out of his area to stop Sterling from advancing, but his clearance fell to Caicedo, who lobbed a perfect shot from halfway into the net for his first Chelsea goal. Sterling doubled the lead two minutes into the second half, rounding two defenders and slipping the ball through Neto's legs at the near post.

Bournemouth responded just a minute later, when Enes Unal's shot deflected off Chelsea defender Benoit Badiashile and into the net.

Following a disappointing start to the season under Mauricio Pochettino, the outcome was more than Chelsea fans could have hoped for.

The London club were in 12th place at the beginning of last month, despite having more success in domestic cups, reaching the League Cup final and FA Cup semi-finals.

On Sunday, no fans booed or demanded that Argentine Pochettino leave, as they had earlier this year. Instead, they celebrated Chelsea's fifth consecutive win. Former Brazil defender Thiago Silva, 39, shed tears as he played his final game for the club after four years.

His teammates formed a guard of honour before performing the season-ending lap of honour.

SportsLigue